Poppy stepped out of the shower ten minutes later and dried herself off before wrapping a towel around herself. She stepped out of the bathroom and headed for the bedroom to change. "Any progress?" she asked, looking down the hallway at him.
She beamed and disappeared into the bedroom to change, keeping the door open so she could talk to him. "I'm going to be dead and buried by the time you figure it out."
She came out wearing a grey shirt that matched her eyes and jeans, the cuffs rolled up twice. "Just telling the truth, my darling."
He inspected it for a moment, before running his fingers along the crystals, creating different constellation shapes.
Poppy came up behind him and wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her head on his shoulder as she watched his fingers.
He tried as many as he could remember. Big dipper, Scorpius, Libra, Aquila, Serpens, Cassiopeia, Gemini..
There were two things inside the hatch. One was a letter, folded crisply twice. His name was written on the front in Poppy's hand writing. The second thing was a small glass sphere, barely bigger than a golf ball. Glued to the bottom of the inside of the sphere were two tiny figurines. One was a tall man in his pajamas sitting cross-legged, his black hair untidy and his warm brown eyes staring upwards. Next to him was a young woman with messy auburn curls. She was leaning her head against the man's shoulder, and together they both looked up to the sky, waiting patiently to see the stars.
He watched it for a moment, a strange sense of calmness washing over him. After a moment, he opened the letter.
The writing was small and familiar. Hello, my darling, Happy birthday. At least, I'm hoping you're able to open this on your birthday. That'd be pretty embarrassing if my opening line for your birthday letter was a mistake. If that is the case, know that I had good intentions. Maybe you should have solved it faster. I think you'd be surprised by how often I think of you. You are always on my mind, Craw. Even when I am laughing at some joke that has absolutely nothing to do with you, I am thinking about whether you would like it or not. Is that strange? Maybe. You have become such a constant within my life so quickly that I scarcely know what is conventional anymore. You're so good, my darling. Being with you is a gift that I take for granted too often. I love the way you laugh, and the way you frown. I love your fingers and the way they open when you ask a question. I love the way you hold me when you sleep, no matter how tired you are. I love that you always wake up slowly. I love that you brush your hand through your hair when you're frustrated, or that you cross your arms when you're feeling stubborn. Everything new that I find out about you surprises me before making perfect sense. I suppose that's how it's always been for you and I, though. You have always been a familiar mystery to me. Happy birthday, my darling. I love you more than anything. Yours always, xxP
He was quiet for a moment, before setting the note down and turning to kiss her deeply. "I love you so much."
She laughed against his lips and kissed him back, her hand coming up to brush his jaw. "I love you too, Craw."
She laughed and brought her hands up to his jaw, holding his face in her hands. She kissed him, smiling against his lips. "I feel the same, Craw. You changed everything."
